Part 41: Being a better wingman, plus the obligatory fight scene

Miho: Where do you want to go today?
Goon: Hmm, let's go to the boutique today.
Miho: *giggle* I thought you'd say that. That's what I predicted yesterday.
Goon: So let's get moving.

Miho: Do you think that outfit's really good?Option 1: The plain one piece?
Option 2: The latest see-through fashion?
Option 3: The one with the cute frills?

Because this is Miho, option 1 or option 3 sound the best. B-ho would probably like 2 the most.

Goon: The one with the cute frills?
Miho: Isn't it cute? I love frilly outfits.
Goon: (Looks like I made a great impression!)

RELOAD COUNT: 91

4/23: Shopping date, take 2

Miho again.

Miho: Do you think that outfit's really good?
Goon: The plain one-piece outfit?
Miho: Yes, I'm going to buy it now.
Goon: (Looks like I made a great impression!)

RELOAD COUNT: 92

4/23: Shopping date, take 3

Oh COME ON

Miho: Do you think that outfit's as wonderful as I do?
Goon: The latest see-through fashion?
Miho: I'm not a fan of outfits as bold as that one.
Goon: (I made a really bad impression.)

Miho: Oh, could you be a time fairy?
Miho: Can you change the past?
Goon: Shirayuki-san?
Goon:

Time Fairy Count: 6RELOAD COUNT: 93, 94, 95, 96, 97

4/22: Try out the form of address system again

This time, I chose Shirayuki-chan, and B-ho liked it. If the girl is okay with the form of address you choose, the conversation continues as normal.

4/23: Shopping date, take I lost count

B-ho! Huzzah!

B-ho: Where do you want to go today?
Goon: Hmm, let's go to the boutique today.
B-ho: There are some clothes I really want! Let's go!

Between the reaction here and the, erm, size difference you may notice between Miho and B-ho, you do have to wonder where in this crazy story a non-goldfish would have noticed that there seem to be two different people going on dates with him.

Miho: Do you think that outfit's as wonderful as I do?
Goon: The latest see-through fashion?
Miho: Yes! The latest fashions are always the best.
Goon: (Looks like I made a great impression!)

5/3: Invite B-ho out to the arcade (she accepts)

5/4: Arcade date, take 1

Miho. Kurses with a K!

Miho: What kind of game were you playing? I couldn't see very clearly. Option 1: The latest fighting game.
Option 2: A puzzle game that's popular with girls.
Option 3: A racing game that really appeals to hardcore fans.

I highly doubt that Miho would like fighting games, so let's try impressing her with racing.

Goon: A racing game that really appeals to hardcore fans.
Miho: You can drive? That's amazing.
Goon: (Eh.)

RELOAD COUNT: 98

5/4: Arcade date, take 2

Miho. Dammit.

Goon: The latest fighting game.
Miho: I'm glad I didn't see it, then.
Miho: I don't like such barbaric things, and I especially don't like seeing blood.
Goon: (I made a really bad impression.)

Miho: Oh, could you be a time fairy?
Miho: Can you change the past?
Goon: Shirayuki-san?
Goon:

Time Fairy Count: 7RELOAD COUNT: 99

5/2: Tempt fate again

Goon: Miho-san!
B-ho: Who are you talking to?
B-ho: Because that's definitely not me.

Death Glare Count: 7

At this point, I decided to take advantage of an already-ruined run by trying a few things out. There really are only two things that matter in this portion:

Jun: I'm in love with Minazuki-san.
Goon: Really? That's awesome, man!
Jun: You may say it's awesome, but I seriously have no idea what to do next.
Goon: Alright, then leave it to me!
Jun: Huh?
Goon: Even if we set up a date for you two, you'd probably be totally lost.
Goon: So, I'll give you a more comfortable setting with a double date at the amusement park.
Jun: S, sorry, man.
Goon: No worries. Gimme a sec, I'll call you right back.
Jun: Yeah...!

Goon: (Hmm, the best way to do this is probably to get Hikari's help.)
(ring, ring)
Hikari: Hello, this is Hinomoto.
Goon: Hey, Hikari? It's me.
Hikari: Hmm? What's got you calling me out of nowhere?
Goon: Do I have a story for you.
Hikari: Ooh, what is it what is it? Is it funny?
Goon: You know Jun? That guy told me he loves Minazuki-san.
Hikari: No way, really?!
Goon: Really! So I was thinking of inviting the two of them out to the amusement park, and help them along.
Hikari: Hehe, you really do take care of your friends. So, what do you want me to do?
Goon: I want you to ask Minazuki-san to go to the amusement park.
Goon: Then, come with me and we'll make sure they're comfortable because it's probably better to have four of us than three.
Hikari: Got it! So when do you want to do it?
Goon: What about Sunday?
Hikari: OK! Leave it to me!
Hikari: I'm so looking forward to this!
Goon: (That's kind of weird. Why would she look forward to it this much?)
Goon: (Whatever, time to call Jun back)
Jun: Hello?
Goon: Hey, it's me.
Goon: Just letting you know, the double date is on for this Sunday.
Jun: I see. Sorry for making you go through all this trouble, man.
Goon: Just don't be late.
Jun: I won't.
Goon: (Sweet, time to support Jun!)

I'll repeat - the biggest improvement in Tokimeki Memorial 2 is how you actually feel like there's a connection between the characters. Goon really looks out for Jun! Hikari and Kotoko look out for each other! And Takumi? Well, he can go take a long walk off a very short pier...

Takumi: So, are you in love with anyone?
Goon: Wow, that question was out of nowhere.
Takumi: Don't try and hide it from me, I know you're after someone.
Goon: Well, all the girls are pretty cute, so I don't even know.
Takumi: You're pretty indecisive, aren't you?
Takumi: Me, I've already narrowed it down.
Goon: To who?

Takumi: Miyuki-chan is a little unlucky, but I like how she's always cheerful and never discouraged.

Takumi: Kaedeko-chan is a little klutzy and childish, but that's also her charm.
Goon: (Wh, what?)
Goon: Wait, that isn't narrowing it down at all!
Takumi: There's one more!
Goon: Seriously?
Takumi: Isn't Hikari-chan just the best?
Goon: What?!

Takumi: But that'd be pretty mean to you...
Goon: Hikaru's just a childhood friend.
Takumi: You say that, but your voice is cracking.
Goon: (Erk...)
Takumi: Well, let's just make sure we don't get in each other's ways, okay?
Takumi: Later!
Goon: (Takumi... I'll have to watch that guy.)

This is the event I mentioned before - where Takumi tells you three random names and one of them is his actual target. Even though this run was pretty much throwaway, it's very important to trigger this event in the B-ho route in order to avoid getting absolutely destroyed. In other routes, you just have to make sure you'll be able to beat him in a duel to the pain in order to win the girl of your dreams (if you actually overlap).

End interesting things!

RELOAD COUNT: 100

Note: Because of the success at calling Miho/B-ho "Shirayuki-chan" in the previous chapter, the date reminder now says "Date with Shirayuki-chan" instead of "Date with Shirayuki-san".

Success! B-ho finally showed up!

B-ho: What're you playing?Option 1: It's a quiz game. Want to join me?
Option 2: I'm in the middle of a match in a 3D fighting game!
Option 3: I'm playing a game with monkeys driving trains - isn't it cute?

Based on B-ho's previous reactions, we know that there is one guaranteed good answer here. However, as a personal fan of Konami's Quiz Magic Academy arcade series, I chose based on what I actually like the best.

Goon: It's a quiz game. Want to join me?
Miho: I'm pretty confident at my knowledge in the entertainment genre.
Goon: (Looks like I made a great impression!)

5/7: Get into a fight!

After spending a half hour in the unused run above trying to pick a fight with street punks, I reloaded and accidentally triggered it on 5/7 with B-ho.

Punk: The fuck's your problem, waltzing around like that?
Goon: (Crap, this is bad.)
Goon: If you've got a problem with me, meet me down by the river!

Welcome to Tokimeki Memorial 2's RPG combat system! You'll notice two big differences right away: one, the use of Final Fantasy 7-style character models; two, the active combat stats for two characters instead of one! That's right, the girls actually get into the mix themselves this time! This can be bad because they can actually be attacked.

Just like in Tokimeki Memorial 1, the beaten-up punks run away saying
Punks: Uch... you're not bad. Guess we have to tell the boss!

This is because, according to canon, Tokimemo 2's boss is in fact the boss from Tokimemo 1, who apparently never actually gave up his title to the protagonist of Tokimemo 1.

A note about Miho and B-ho in combat: The two of them have the same limit break, and, in true horoscope RPG fashion, the results of the Limit Break are random. They are also different between Miho and B-ho. Of course. For each girl, there are three horoscope results that produce different magical effects.

Miho's Limit Breaks

1) "You should be wary of the water today" - a torrent of rain deals damage to all enemies (also has an extra effect on the final boss)2) "Today should be a good day for your health" - Goon gains an aura of strength that turns his next attack into a critical hit.3) "Today, you will get what you wish for." - Kero Kero Debeso-chans rain from the sky and deal damage to all characters except for Miho.

B-ho's Limit Breaks

1) "You should be wary of the water today" - B-ho's butt gets lit on fire, and B-ho takes damage.2) "Today should be a good day for your health" - Goon starts to gain an aura of strength, but it lights him on fire instead and he takes damage.3) "Today, you will get what you wish for." - Kero Kero Debeso-chans rain from the sky and deal damage to all characters, including B-ho.

As you can see, B-ho is the worst character in Tokimemo 2 to bring along to a fight (remember: Akane never gets into a fight. The punks know better). This is why I had to reload at this point - not only did the scheduling lead to some accidental cockblocking of Jun on 5/14 because if you have plans on that day, the double date never happens, but beating the punks the first time leads to a long series of mini-bosses who will interrupt your dates until you managed to beat the last boss. This is important for Akane's storyline, but with B-ho, you really really don't want to get into any fights because she is a huge anchor, and losing any of these fights causes a significant loss of affection.

At this point, I had to reload a couple of times to get back to a good state.

RELOAD COUNT: 102, 103

5/4: Arcade Date, True Path

Yay, it's B-ho!

B-ho: What're you playing?
Goon: I'm in the middle of a match in a 3D fighting game!
B-ho: What?! That girl with the gloves you're using, isn't she a secret character?
B-ho: When you're done, you have to show me how to unlock her!
Goon: (Looks like I made a great impression!)

After much searching of Konami games, we discovered that this particular line refers to an obscure Konami fighting game called Battle Tryst. The character in question is Pastel, from the Twinbee series, who is indeed a secret character in Battle Tryst.

Holy crap, check out how long Jun's sweater is. And how high Kotoko's pants are! What the hell, late '90s!

Hikari: What a great view!
Hikari: Even though we just went around once, it felt like we were in a totally different world.
Goon: Yeah, especially since it was just the two of us.

Hikari: Hahaha... yeah. Just... the two of us.
Goon: (??)

For crap's sake, Goon. How can you be such a good wingman for Jun and yet such a dumbass?

Goon: Well, it's time to head home.
Jun: Yeah.

Hikari: Today was awesome! Let's come back soon!
Kotoko: Yeah, I had a pretty good amount of fun.
Goon: So, let's head home.
Jun: Thanks so much for today.
Jun: I owe you my life!
Goon: Hey, you're making way too much of this.
Goon: All I did was give you a chance. The rest is up to you.
Jun: Yeah.
Goon: (Good luck, Jun!)

Miho: Puppies sure are cute when they're asleep.
Goon: Want to knock on the glass and wake them up?
Miho: *giggle* The fairies are sleeping so soundly too.
Goon: (I made a really bad impression.)

Miho: Oh, could you be a time fairy?
Miho: Can you change the past?
Goon: Shirayuki-san?
Goon:

Time Fairy Count: 8

As a test, I didn't reload at this point because the second Sports Festival was coming up. I wanted to make sure that B-ho had enough of an affection lead that she would show up.

6/3: Sports Festival, Take 1

Goon: It's the Sports Festival today!
Goon: Hmm, which game should I enter?
Goon: The three-legged race.

Takumi: Yo!
Goon: Hey Takumi, what's up?
Takumi: Do you have a partner for the 3-legged race yet?
Goon: No, why do you ask?
Takumi: Sweet! Team up with me.
Takumi: If you teamed up with a certain girl, I'd get really jealous.
Goon: Well... I guess that's fine.
Takumi: Good! Let's show off to everyone!
Goon: Sure.

Sadly, Goon's Sports stat is not high enough to drag Takumi through the dirt.

B-ho: That was close, but anything other than first place is meaningless.
Goon: (But, but I tried so hard!)

Well, on the plus side, B-ho definitely shows up. On the minus side, she is incredibly unimpressed with anything short of victory.

RELOAD COUNT: 105

5/28: Zoo date, take 2

B-ho. Hurray!

B-ho: Elephants sure are cute.Option 1: What about them do you think is cute?
Option 2: Their trunks are kind of creepy. They scare me.
Option 3: Yeah, especially their eyes!

I accidentally hit circle before reading all of the answers here.

Goon: What about them do you think is cute?
B-ho: Uh... just something about them, I guess.
Goon: (Eh.)

5/29: Meet Homura by accident

To compound my mistake, I ended up letting my Stress get too high, which triggered Homura's appearance. However, because Homura is awesome, I am including her here.

Goon: Crap, I knew that sleeping in was a bad idea.
Goon: Whew, looks like I'll barely make it.
???: Hold it right there!
Goon: ???
???: Whenever evil infests this world, the forces of justice will arise!
Goon: Wh, what?

The line Homura quotes here is as well-known in Japanese superhero pop culture as "It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!" is in American pop culture. The line is the calling card of Kamen Rider Stronger (1975). "Tou!" is another comic book sound effect associated with superheroes leaping great distances.

Homura: You face the Student Body President of Hibikino High School: Akai Homura!!!
Goon: ...
Goon: Crap, that's the bell!
Homura: Tardiness is against the rules, you know.
Goon: Whose fault do you think it is that I'm late?
Goon: Besides, aren't you late too?

Homura: I, I'll be fine. I'm the president!
Goon: ...
Homura: Anyway, that's just how it is. Bye!
Goon: What the hell was that?

Annoyingly, I came within about a half second of winning this event but ran out of time.

B-ho: That was close, but anything other than first place is meaningless.
Goon: (But, but I tried so hard!)

RELOAD COUNT: 106

5/28: Pray for good RNG

Oh thank God

B-ho: Elephants sure are cute.
Goon: Their trunks are kind of creepy. They scare me.
B-ho: Yeah, I'm totally on the same page there.
B-ho: The trunk moves so much more than the rest of the elephant that it seems like it's a completely different animal.
Goon: (Looks like I made a great impression!)

B-ho: likes puppies and wants to startle them awake by knocking on the glass. Claims she thinks elephants are cute, then calls them creepy and weird.

6/3: Sports Festival, take 3

Who needs teammates? Not Goon and Takumi! Victory!

B-ho: Awesome! You carried the whole team to victory!
B-ho: That was so exciting!
Goon: Y, you think so?
Goon: (She's so excited about it, she's making me blush.)